'I left Arsenal for a woman - I still regret it'

Emmanuel Petit wishes he could turn back time (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal icon Emmanuel Petit has admitted that he left the Gunners ‘for a woman’ and still regrets the decision he made almost 25 years later.

Petit enjoyed three successful seasons at Arsenal from 1997 to 2000 with the Gunners clinching the Premier League title and FA Cup trophy in 1998.

But the Frenchman, 54, wishes he stayed in north London longer and could turn back the clock to stop himself from joining Barcelona in the year 2000.

Petit married French actress Agathe de La Fontaine in 2000 but they divorced just two years later.

Asked why he decided to leave Arsenal to join Barca, Petit told Stadium Astro that he was impacted by his love life off the pitch and said: ‘[It was] for a woman.

‘I always loved Barcelona and [Real] Madrid, two of the biggest clubs in the world. But I should have stayed with Arsenal, definitely.

‘You know, sometimes the grass is not greener somewhere else. It’s better to stay where you are when you receive love and happiness and you are successful.

Emmanuel Petit regrets swapping Arsenal for Barcelona (Picture: Getty)

‘Why would you leave? Definitely [a big regret]. If I could turn the clock back, I would probably make a different decision.’

Former defensive midfielder Petit, who now works as a football pundit, spent just one season at Barca before he returned to the Premier League to join Chelsea.

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He had a three-year spell at Stamford Bridge, making a total of 76 appearances, before calling time on his playing career in 2004.

Speaking to FourFourTwo about his second stint in England, Petit revealed that he actually wanted to join Manchester United but his wife wanted to live in London.

‘I should have gone to Manchester United, because Sir Alex Ferguson called me twice,’ Petit said. ‘We had a very good conversation and it was tempting, but once again I listened to my wife.

‘She wanted to go back to London – she didn’t want to live in Manchester – so I made the same mistake twice in one year.’

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